Ultrasound Machine Reviews, news, and advice

Siemens Acuson Antares with 4D

I just spent some time with a bunch of Siemens equipment, and we've decided to include it in our lineup. The two systems we're most impressed with are the Antares and the new X300. I spent a couple hours with the Antares, unfortunately my video camera was at home, but I got some shots of it and I'll be posting my thoughts this week.

After my post of the Logiq 7, questions came in and recommendations were made that I give the Antares a good look. I did, and these two systems compete well head-to-head. As it stands, it's a close call, but for overall performance while you're scanning, I think I prefer the Siemens equipment. It has a huge articulating flatscreen, better user interface, and is overall VERY fast during the scan... no touchscreen delays, and it's also built for on-the-fly adjustments that are actually easier and better than the Logiq 7. The 4D is capable and will pass for any Obstetric office looking to add 4D to its lineup. Seriously... don't fall for the frame-rate hype and all that crap, it's over-stated, believe me! This seemed to be about as fast as the Logiq 7 anyway. But if you're an OB, is one frame per second for a 4D babyface image really worth $10,000 or more? I think not... particularly because in all the exams I've been in, not a single patient has mentioned frame rate.

I'll have more comments and pictures up after the long weekend.

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Video up on the Logiqbook and SonoSite

if you'd like to see the brief video on the SonoSite and Logiqbook XP, we've just uploaded it to the website. Click here.

4D ultrasound on animals: Ultrasound Gone Wild: Imaging animals in the womb

A year ago National Geographic did a series on "In the Womb: Animals" building on its highly successful human "in the Womb" series. They're going to show it again on May 25, and it's pretty darn cool. You can see a preview here and the RT-Image story is below witha  full link to the article.

Quoted from http://www.rt-image.com/content=9104J05C485E8E8640569A7244A880441:

RT-Image.com: Ultrasound Gone Wild: Imaging animals in the womb

Ultrasound Gone Wild Imaging animals in the womb By Amy Storer Article available online at: http://www.rt-image.com/0521ANIMALS

For years, traditional 2-D ultrasound images have given expectant mothers a window – albeit a grainy, black-and-white window – into their wombs. Now, advanced 4-D ultrasound technology provides a clearer picture and produces video of the moving fetus. In 2006, using this 4-D imaging technology on pregnant human mothers, the National Geographic Channel (NGC) aired a special production titled, "In the Womb." Building on the interest generated from that production, NGC recently developed a two-hour show featuring expectant mothers not in a human's doctor office, but in a veterinarian's office, instead.

4D ultrasound,veterinary 4D ultrasound,4D imaging in the womb

SonoSite Titan or Logiqbook XP? Portable ultrasound matchup

In the rapidly growing portable or "Compact ultrasound' market, price drops have recently pitted two systems very close to each other in price; and lately a lot of our customers have been confused as to which machine is for them. And it's true:, for the basic ultrasound user (most of whom are just adding ultrasound to their care options), it can be really confusing as to which system to choose. The basic fact is this: both the Logiqbook XP and SonoSite Titan are solid portable ultrasound machines, but what you'll do with it and who will handle it will likely decide which is best for you. This article will discuss quite a bit, but the best thing to do is call me at 866-347-7633 to make sure you don't make an expensive mistake! 866-347-7633.

A little history: Biosound really led this market that was once designed for mobile ultrasound companies. It was a real niche. The systems were bulky, required a cart, Imaging was mediocre, and the probes were usually mechanical or 'wobblers'. But in the 1999 a little company spun off from ATL called SonoSite. They created a system called the SonoSite 180 that was designed for military use: small, battery-operated and very tough. And so it began. The SonoSite 180 was great for triage and emergency scanning and had a huge "wow" factor. From there, it grew. And so did the compact portable ultrasound market. GE had played on the fringes of this market, but jumped in head-first and took over the market with some really outstanding products. Now GE is the leader with almost too many entries (Vivid i, Vivid e, Voluson i, Logiqbook, Logiqbook XP, Logiq e, Logiq i, etc.) For now, we're going to review the two emerging-market and very popular systems: Logiqbook XP and SonoSite Titan. These hit the market with a bang and still run strong as solid, good imaging systems that can be used in many cases, particularly the emerging fields in which ultrasounds are being applied.

The package

The Titan is lighter, smaller, and has less viewing area. LCD displays are 8.4-inches for the Titan and 10.5 for the Logiqbook XP. The Titan weighs-in at about 8lbs compared to the Logiqbook XP's 10.5 lbs. Both have a carrying handle (the XP's is not visible in the picture because it duals as support in the back of the system in case you'd like to prop it at an angle... A nice touch). Other obvious notes are the keyboards... and this is where the differences are very large and ultimately set the tone for the design and use of these machines:

• The Titan's keyboard is more compact, more direct, and backlit (don't take this for granted particularly if you're going to be scanning in a dark room). The buttons are large and easy to read, although the keyboard is small. It has a trackpad/touchpad device (for which SonoSite is being sued by GE) that is easy to use for measurements and the like. It also has softkey controls along the upper portion of the keyboard and just below the monitor.
  
  
  
• The Logiqbooks XP's keyboard is larger, nearly full-size, and more complex. The buttons are smaller and can be considered easier or harder to use depending on your situation (lighting, how much manipulation you'll do, types of exams, etc.). This is clearly designed more like a console-unit, as it attempts to provide many of the keys available on the larger units... but if you don't use the machine very much, it can be a bit confusing in a dark room or hurried situation. All-in-all, the system does not involve rocket science and definitely easier than those of the previous-generation's full console ultrasound machines circa mid-1990s.

The larger keyboard on the Logiqbook XP also makes another feature stand out: customization. This system is more feature-laden, including Auto Tissue Optimization, better Doppler controls, more measurement controls, better TGC control (arguably), and basically more "stuff". Well, that all sounds great until you scan in a dark room and can't remember where everything is. Good luck because the keyboard is, well, full of a lot of great customization controls and a poorly-lit room can make this tough. Whereas the SonoSite's utilitarian and backlit configuration can be quite nice for one who couldn't care less about the infinite ways of optimizing their 2D, color, and Doppler images (SonoSite provides basic controls and really stuck to their target market). I can't imagine the tremendous fights that went on in the user-interface design room for the Logiqbook XP... utilitarian or 'give 'em everything'. They got most of it right, however, they hid the Tissue Harmonics button that is so prominently displayed on all the other machines... is it because the harmonics aren't good on this machine? Possibly. Read on.

Boot Time

The difference in this was quite surprising. While the XP's boot time is still short compared to some console units, it really appears really slow when paired against the Titan (particularly with impatient people such as myself).

• The SonoSite took 8 seconds to boot and was ready for imaging
• The Logiqbook XP took 1:40 to boot and was ready for imaging

The key difference here is the operating system. The Logiqbook XP runs on Windows XP, which allows it quite a bit of versatility and a reliable, tested operating system ready for wireless, USB compatibility, and saves GE time from developing its own OS. The SonoSite runs its own operating system designed specifically for its "point of care" applications such as Emergency Rooms where speed is more important than flexibility. Again, SonoSite focused hard on its target market and stuck with something lean and fast. GE was probably took a more shotgun broad-audience approach here.

Imaging

Image quality on both machines is quite impressive considering the cost, size, and amount of time these things have been on the market. Both have Tissue Harmonics imaging capabilities... SonoSite, at a glance appears to perform well for penetration (which is the main goal) and Logiqbook's harmonics seem to be better for more superficial imaging. Maybe that's why you must hit CTRL-H in order to turn on harmonics for the Logiqbook (everything else is basically at the touch of a button) ... because its intended function doesn't appear to perform very well.

Overall, we found the penetration to be better on the SonoSite. We were able to scan the carotid of a 300lb man and get good 2D and decent color out of it. We haven't heard many complaints about the penetration with the SonoSite, however, we have had a few comments from our customers from the Logiqbook XP and its limited penetration, particularly in obstetrics and obese patients. To be fair, these comments seem to be based on a higher expectation from those using a full-console unit 90% of the time and using the Logiqbook as a backup unit. I was really quite surprised to see how the penetration lacks when you turn on Harmonics with the Logiqbook XP. This is experienced in abdominal imaging and obstetric imaging... I have not had a chance to take a look with the vascular probe because we recently sold our last one and we need to purchase a replacement. For updates to this, call us at 866-347-7633.

Frame rates in Color Doppler were also surprising with the SonoSite. It responded well with little aliasing in a normal carotid or abdominal study. The Logiqbook was similar, although we didn't test in on a carotid last Friday because we'd sold the linear probe and haven't yet bought its replacement.

Calculations and Measurements

This is a tough call to describe without providing too much bias. Yes, the Logiqbook XP has a much better calculation and measurement package.. However, for most of the users for which the SonoSite is designed, it won't make a huge difference because the basics are there... i.e. if you're only using the system a couple times a week for abdominal, screening, obstetrics or vascular, you really don't need the other stuff. However, you'll get better versatility with the Logiqbook XP. And that goes for the entire system with more customizations for those who like to tweak their images. The XP is more versatile and provides more customization and options, period.

Durability

SonoSite wins here in all ways. Everything on this feels tough. I've heard the stories of salespeople dropping the probe and systems on the floor intentionally to prove how tough these things are. The Logiqbook XP ultrasound definitely feels more like a laptop computer, which you do not want to drop. The probe connectors will give you this same feel; the XP seems a bit flimsy compared to the Titan's lock-and-load type system that keeps the connector hidden beneath the machine. However, if you're going to leave the XP on a cart and move it occassionally from room-to-room, do you really care?

Image storage

Both provide good solutions for connectivity and DICOM, although I'll give the Logiqbook XP an edge because it's definitely more versatile. The Titan gives you the choice of networking or SmartMedia. The XP allows you to use a USB device, wireless and basically anything you would do on your own laptop. Very nice.

Conclusion

It's important to remember that neither of these machines is designed to replace a full console unit, although they do a pretty good job of getting the good stuff in there. These are capable machines, not pieces of crap adapted for a market need. This world is changing and compact ultrasounds are getting darn near the console units (see my previous Voluson e story ). We also love the Logiq e, which has GREAT image quality.

Both the SonoSite and Logiqbook are top-sellers in the market. So how does one decide? Here's how I put it to an internal med doctor last week that inspired this article: You need to decide what you will be doing (what you need), and the decision will present itself. Neither system needs a dedicated procedure room, and both have good carts to which they can be mounted (and easily removed). As an internal medicine doctor, he simply needs to decide how often he'll use it, what types of studies, and who will perform the exams. Answers to these questions will make the answer fairly obvious.

The SonoSite is a great system for those only doing a few exams per week particularly when those ultrasound procedures are not planned in advance. For example, a patient enters a family physician office presenting some abdominal pain. In this situation, simply pull the SonoSite off the shelf and you'll have an image imminently. It'll be a solid image, and likely performed by the doctor who wants to do a quick diagnosis. This is also perfect in Emergency Medicine, Med-Check offices, family practice, internal medicine, and anesthesia.

The Logiqbook XP is something that is more likely to be used by a sonographer or physician with more experience with ultrasound and has a more defined preference in the "look" of their images, presets, and in-general more control over the ultrasound. This system would be found in many of the same places, but has a better fit in an office where patients would likely have their ultrasound scheduled in advance. This allows the system to already be running without too much wait for bootup time. It also requires a better-lit room (until the tech or physician is more comfortable with the user interface) and some basic savvy of ultrasound systems.

Both are very easy to use and learn. For physicians just getting into ultrasound, they should have no problems adapting to either of these systems. They're both very nice. The viewing area didn't seem to have a significant impact on the image quality or evaluating images. Both provide solutions for the doctors to review on their own computer or send to a radiologist.

Overall, you can't really go wrong with either system. Define your needs carefully and the answer to which one is right for you shall present itself. You can also call us at 866-347-7633 for a quote on the system or to get your other thoughts. You can email me as well.

Thanks,
Brian Gill

President, GPS Medical Inc

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Titan vs Logiqbook XP coming soon...

Just a quick note, I've received a few notes today and a lot of hits regarding the Titan Vs Logiqbook XP article. We filmed it on Friday and I hope to get my comments up by the end of the day today. If you'd like an alert as to when it posts, please email me and I'll be sure to let you know. The video will be posted here or at the GPS Medical website.

GE sues SonoSite over Touchpad pointing device...seriously

GE filed suit against portable ultrasound manufacturer SonoSite on May 15 over 5 different patents, one of which is the use of a "touchpad pointing device" on an ultrasound instead of a trackball. Seriously. What is the patent office thinking to allow a patent for a technology that is basically ripped off from whomever decided to put it on a laptop computer? This is real. You can read the patent here. There HAS to be more to this patent.... Isn't this like patenting a QWERTY keyboard on a phone? How is this innovative? Rip off one technology, put it on another and call it your own? Is this really what GE calls "imagination at work"? I'll give them credit, this is definitely imaginitive and creative!

All that aside, the other four patents apply to more specific technologies involving physics, not the use of your index finger.

There's a good Seattle Times article and I've included the following Auntminnie.com article discussing the lawsuit. Looking up these patents, they deal with color Doppler, power Doppler, and the transferring of data from the ultrasound to another machine. Here are the patents they're suing over: 4,932,415 5,584,294, 6,120,447, 6,210,327, and 6,418,225

Quoted from http://www.auntminnie.com/index.asp?Sec=sup&Sub=ult&Pag=dis&ItemId=75853&wf=1895:

Radiology, Ultrasound Community

GE files suit against SonoSite

5/17/2007

GE Healthcare of Chalfont St. Giles, U.K., has filed a lawsuit against compact-ultrasound developer SonoSite of Bothell, WA. The lawsuit charges SonoSite with infringing on GE patents for compact-ultrasound technology.

GE filed the lawsuit on May 15 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. The company charges that SonoSite's MicroMaxx and/or Titan scanners infringe on GE patents Nos. 4,932,415; 5,584,294; 6,120,447; 6,210,327; and 6,418,225 relating to ultrasound technology. GE said it is seeking "unspecified monetary damages and an injunction."

SonoSite spokesperson Anne Bugge said the company has not yet been formally served with the case, but is evaluating its options. "We are just in the early stages of analyzing it," Bugge said. "We intend to vigorously defend our rights."

SonoSite is already embroiled in litigation over patents related to compact ultrasound with competitor Zonare Medical Systems of Mountain View, CA.

By AuntMinnie.com staff writers

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SonoSite Titan versus GE Logiqbook XP

Logiqbook XP,SonoSite Titan,ultrasound review,compare Logiqbook Titan

I've got a Titan and Logiqbook XP sitting here on my desk, just dying for a side-by-side comparison. I'll get some video of this up on the GPS Medical website and will post my comments here. I hope to get this done in the next day or so and post my opinions next week. Check back next week for a good look at these two head-to-head competitors. We'll look at size, ergonomics, abdominal and vascular scanning, durability and all that fun stuff. Please email or add your comment below with anything you'd like to see out of these and I'll either make comments or add it to the video.

Toshiba Nemio recalled

Toshiba has recalled its Nemio product line. The serial numbers of the systems involved in the recall are listed below.

PRODUCT
Nemio XG ultrasound system, SSA-590A with version 1.5 software. Recall # Z-0771-2007

CODE
Serial #: A1A0642100; A1A0642102; A1B0662183; A1B0662184; A1B0662256; A1B0662257; A1B0662258; A1B0662327; A1B0662328; A1B0662330; A1B0662331; A3A0652115; A3B0662284; A3B0662285; A3B0662286; A3B0662287; A3B0662288; A3B0662289; A3B0662290; A3B0662291; A3B0662292; A3B0662293; A3B0662371; A3B0662372; A3B0662373; A3B0662374; A3B0662375; A3B0662376; A3B0662377; A3B0662378; A3B0662379; A3B0662380; A3B0672415; A3B0672416; A3B0672417; A3B0672418; A3B0672419

RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
Recalling Firm: Toshiba American Med Sys Inc., Tustin, CA, by letters on December 19, 2006.
Manufacturer: Toshiba Medical Systems Corp., Tokyo, Japan. Firm initiated recall is ongoing.

REASON
Transducer surface temperature. It was found during testing that when using the system in the 2DCDI + PW mode, with the Scale Graph function active, that the transducer surface temperature could exceed the 27 degrees Celsius limit as specified in the IEC safety standard.

Testing the Logiq 7 ultrasound in 4D and OB

Logiq 7,,babyface imaging,GE Logiq,Obstetric Ultrasound

We'll get off the GE kick soon, but most of the stuff we've been selling has been GE. We're starting to spend a lot more time with the Siemens equipment and we love the Titan, but right now, I'm pretty excited about the GE Logiq 7. We've done a small video with its 4D on and a couple carotid arteries at the GPS Medical website.

I'd heard in recent years the Logiq 7 has really come out of its shell and become an excellent performing machine. We've seen it, but only in our testing area here. We did some real-world stuff with it last week and trained a sonographer on the system who was coming from an Acuson Aspen. After having trained people on a Logiq 9 coming from an XP-10, I thought the training would be a  uphill battle for a couple reasons:

 

The touchscreen. Some people really struggle with a touchscreen, particularly those coming from command-based user interfaces such as older Acuson (XP-10, Aspen, Sequoia). Sonographers, as a whole, typically avoid change, and to completely redirect how they're interfacing with the machine can be a battle because you're taking away their efficiency.

 

4D imaging. We also introduced 4D imaging to the sonographer... so this would be a tough one too. For a tech who's been scanning for many years, this can frustrate and confuse some techs.

 

In both counts, the Logiq 7 was a success. We didn't really even play much with the advanced features such as CrossXBeam or SRI (Speckle Reduction Imaging), but we really took advantage of the customization and image optimization features.

This Logiq 7 is much like all the other current-generation ultrasound systems. It's Windows-based and is touchscreen driven. But here's the big difference: image optimization. It has auto optimization, but we find that sonographers like their images a certain way... and they like to take measurements a certain way. GE nailed it on this one. For starters, you can adjust dynamic range and grey maps on-the-fly, REAL-TIME on the image your scanning without switching screens or going to a buried menu. It allows you to select from more than 20 different grey maps, and allows you to see ON THE LIVE IMAGE how each affects your image, allowing you to QUICKLY select the best for what you're scanning. Same with the Dynamic Range and frequency controls. This was a subtle, yet huge feature as well as the other image optimization features on this touchscreen. They've finally given the control back to the sonographer and not force-fed their own stuff. Kudos on this one.

This is going to be one of our newly most recommended systems (we liked it before, but we really get it now). It's not without its problems, though. Exporting images in a nonDicom format to DVD was very difficult. In fact, it froze the machine. Second, the touchscreen can be a bit frustrating as its reaction time can be really slow. Iimpatient folks, such as myself, get a bit annoyed. However, if I were a tech receiving this system, I would absolutely be willing to put up with it for the image quality and features  on the system. Third, the presets on this system leave a bit to be desired. We highly recommend having someone come in and do applications with you on this system (this is a service we provide, as well).. The Logiq 7 has a limited amount of presets (and I have lots of questions about why they did things a certain way), but they allow you to overwrite the factory presets and create some customized presets. You should do this. Some are OK, but everyone has their own idea of what makes a perfect image. And finally, I don't know why, but the presets won't save with Harmonics in an active position. I've got to look into this one. I dug everywhere in the manuals and online for this issue but haven't resolved it yet. I'll need to call GE on this one.

The 4D imaging was impressive, too. The frame rates weren't smokin', but who cares? If you want a solid machine and good 4D, I don't know why you wouldn't give this a serious look.. It's better than the Medison systems and the image quality is really good. Again, the factory presets aren't very good here and you won't get good images without some help, but all this is quickly overcome and should be done an any system anyway. So once you're set, the images are very very good. Patients were ecstatic, as usual, when you can flip a nice photo of their baby up on the screen.

Penetration was also very good and this is where the system has its advantages: We had an overweight 30-plus-week pregnant woman, heavy smoker and heavily calcified placenta in the office. She was large and pretty difficult to image. With a few clicks on the touchscreen,  I was able to create the "perfect" image for the sonographer and save her very own preset for similar patients... we were able to go to a low frequency, change the grey map and adjust the dynamic range quickly and easily. The tech was very happy, and I was impressed with the ease in which we were able to make the adjustments on the Logiq 7.  The baby's organs were so clear, and the doctor couldn't believe her eyes when we went through a couple fetal hearts.

We never got to any GYN studies, so I wasn't able to really see the CrossXBeam shine, but in a testament to the machine, we didn't really even need to consider it as the system did very well without it on ever.

We did some carotids here in the office, but I didn't really get too heavy into the presets. My tech friends have said they're happy with the penetration the Logiq 7 provides in vascular, but when we tested it on a 300-plus pound male with arrythmia (see video), it was wasn't that great. I was told that this was probably because the presets needed to be tweaked more. I can see their point after using the system in the real-world for the day. The presets aren't great. We'll have to take another look later on. The image on my carotid was great, however, but I'm an avid runner and a normal weight so I'm not a great example, although you can see the color flow of my carotid in the Logiq 7 Video on our website.

As always, you can email me with questions about this system or anything else. I've got a couple systems here I'm still trying to get to. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see.

Thanks,
  Brian  
 

Voluson e portable 4D ultrasound

Voluson e Portable 4D ultrasound

Portable ultrasoundVoluson e4D ultrasound

This week at ACOG, GE announced another portable Voluson product, the Voluson e. This should be an intersting litle unit. If you're not familiar with GE's "i" and "e" series, basically the e is the lower-end model and "i" is the premium, specialized model. They use the "e" products (such as the Vivid e) to help break into smaller or emerging markets where budgets are more limited and/or ultrasound isn't the a primary function (or a less-oft used function), such as an ER of a small hospital, family practice unit, etc. (The exception here is the Logiq e, which is the high-end portable over the Logiqbook XP).

The press release is here. My comments follow... 

Quoted from http://pressroom.gehealthcare.com/proom/internet/NewsandEvents.jsp?release_id=12638:

 

SAN DIEGO, MAY 7, 2007 ¯ GE Healthcare launches today the Voluson e system, a   compact ultrasound system designed specifically for women’s healthcare,   including obstetric, gynecological, and other clinical applications. The   portability of this approximately 11-pound system can provide high-quality   imaging at the patient bedside and for community clinics, where space   constraints are possible. This new compact system, on the heels of last year’s   launch of the Voluson i, also allows clinicians to make real-time diagnoses,   particularly for high-risk patients. The Voluson e is being showcased May 7-9 in   GE Healthcare’s booth #1523 in exhibit halls C-H, at the 55th Annual Clinical   Meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in San   Diego.

 

The Voluson e is specifically designed for uses in labor and delivery,   gynecological exams and studies and assisted reproductive medicine.

 

According to Omar Ishrak, president and CEO of GE Healthcare’s Clinical   Systems business, there is a need for more specialized, high-quality point of   care systems to meet the growing demands for on-the-spot diagnosis. “The Voluson   e and Voluson i address one of the biggest challenges OB/GYN physicians face in   caring for their high-risk patients – access to complete, real-time information   that allows them to make clinical decisions at the patient’s bedside with   confidence,” Ishrak said.

 

While we were really impressed with the 4D on the Voluson i, It'll be interesting to see how much they disabled for the Voluson e. I can't imagine how much they can remove from the image quality on this unit. I'm guessing it's a bit smaller of a unit, but I can't be sure. It's probably missing CrossXBeam and SRI. My biggest concern is the penetration... the Voluson doesn't really compare to the Logiq ultrasounds in penetration, and slamming this thing into a lower-end laptop could have an impact in its power and performance.

Our look at the Voluson i is below, and that will also link you to a video of an in-house exam on the unit.

 

 

4D imaging with the Voluson i

We finally got a chance to get a pregnant woman in the office to check out the Voluson i... GE's portable 4D machine. I had to see how the imaging was on live patients and if it's as good as the large console units. I posted portions of a video of the scan on the GPS Medical Website.
First off, when you see this unit you can't help but wonder if something so small can be any good. You can see here that I've taken pictures of the Voluson i sitting next to my business laptop and also sitting on top of the monitor of a BT05 Voluson 730 Pro. You can see that this system is small.

When we tested this unit on our baby phantom, it was hard to what the true 4D image quality would be. So we brought a friend in to see how the system would do. She was 37 weeks pregnant, so we were a bit nervous to see what would come of it. The baby's face was also in the placenta for much of the scan, but we were able to get some good shots as you can see from the images here on this page. We also have the Voluson i video at our website.

In the video, you'll hear us talking and you'll hear the baby's big brother talking. It's hard to tell from these shots, but the baby would react when the boy would talk to her. It made for an awfully great moment.

Regarding the system, we found that the 2D image quality was much like the GE Logiq e, with which we were also very impressed. This image was very similar and had surprisingly good penetration for such a small machine. In 4D, however, the our initial experience showed that image quality wasn't quite up to par with even the oldest version of the Voluson 730. We didn't think this could be right, so we started making adjustments and tweaked our way to some solid image quality in 4D for "babyface" type images. And this wasn't a simple threshold/gain/mix adjustment. We needed to get into some deeper settings to really show improvements over the factory defaults. But  this thing does good 4D for those of you who are looking to add 4D to your practice. I didn't take any shots of the 2D, but believe me that it's impressive. The quality is better than you would find on anything up to BT04 in the Voluson line (although I haven't had a large patient to really test this unit on so I can't truly speak to its penetration in 2D).  I was as impressed with this as I was with the Logiqe. It's amazing how much this has become software-driven and not hardware-driven... we're seeing technology from a 400lb machine compete with with an 11lb machine. It's crazy. Please email me if you have questions or would like to see something specific that I'm not covering here.
Moving on to the console, I'm fairly disappointed that they didn't make this more truly laptop-like in its connections. It has some standard outputs, but connecting this to a DVD/RW was not  as easy as you'd hope. Available connectors include one VGA out, an RGB Connection for a color printer that must be from another planet. You'll need a video converter if you want to connect this to a DVD-Recorder or VCR. Who wants to haul all that around? We were able to connect the machine to extermal S-Video Connections, VGA, a DVD-R, and DVD-Recorder successfully and simultaneously, but it takes a bit of work and research. Plus, when attaching the CD/DVD writer via the USB, the machine gave us some fits, but we eventually got it worked out. Yes, the setup on these is difficult, but once you know what to do and the specific things to purchase, it's not too bad.
What's really cool, though, is the USB connectors. You can connect to a bluetooth printer, usb printer, and I transferred files to my USB memory stick in seconds. It was very cool. So if you have two offices, you can just purchase two different USB or Bluetooth printers and not have to carry the printers with you.

The keyboard is about as good as it can get without making it overly complicated. Plus, it's backlit, making its sometimes-hard-to-read keys just a bit easier. They don't have much real estate to fit in all the controls and still make it user-friendly. So I guess there's not much to critique here, but it definitely takes some getting used-to. There are many functions for many different buttons (some inconsistencies with them, as well) and it's not as intuitive as they've done in the past. I thought I could figure most of it out on my own, but I ended up spending an hour or so with the manual to find all those things that seemed to be hiding while I was doing the scan. Lesson: get apps training on this one... for presets and for the hidden stuff.

The bottom line: this thing is really incredible. Yes, it has its drawbacks... but look at the size of it. I'd have to say GE got it right again on the so-called "HCU" or Hand Carried Units (I don't know how a laptop is truly hand-carried, but whatever). There's obviously room for improvement here, but the price, performance, and flexibility of this unit is pretty darn awesome. These things are impossible to find on the used market... ours was sold within a day of receipt. They're hip and hot right now. However, if I were in an office setting and this unit didn't need to move much, a large console is easier on the RSI factor, it's more flexible, easier to use, and a bit more powerful. All that said, if a machine needs to move between rooms or offices, you couldn't beat this unit if you are even considering 4D capabilities. You're not sacrificing much for the convenience.

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